What Do I Want With Love?: Heart of Ice
by Rae Kelly
Summary: Ice doesn't know how to trust anyone, but can she trust Pie Eater enough to make their sudden marriage work?
1. Chapter 1

Ice Malloy sat in her usual seat in Tibby's, far away from the rest of the newsies. It wasn't that she didn't like the others. Her father, a con artist, had trained her to never trust anyone and even though he was dead, every time she started to get close to someone, his words played through her mind. She found it easier to just stay away from the rest of the newsies.

It had gotten easier over the last year. The new ones were just getting younger and younger and the older ones were leaving and getting real jobs. She herself would be forced to leave in another month. There wasn't much she could do once she left besides work in a factory. The factories had killed her mother, leaving her with her father.

She was pulled from her thoughts when someone sat down across from her, something that hadn't been done in several years. "What are you doing, Pie?" she asked.

"I just wanted to talk to you," he replied.

She leaned back in her seat and crossed her arms. "No one has 'just wanted to talk' in a long time. Why the sudden interest? You lose a bet or something?"

"No…it's just…"

"Just…" she prompted.

"Well…I gotta leave the lodging house in a week…and there ain't any room for me to go stay with any of the other boys that have left already…and I can't afford the rent on a flat by myself…"

"What does this have to do with me?"

"I know you have to move out too…and I was wondering if you…"

"If I?"

"Wanted to go in to rent a flat with me…"

She looked him in the eye, another trick her father taught her. He said that you could tell a whole lot about a person just by looking at their eyes. Pie was serious about this and pretty desperate. She leaned forward, propping her elbows on the table. "You and me?"

He nodded.

"Just where did you have in mind?"

"I know of one in Brooklyn…cheap, but nice. Spot and Silk have a flat there. Skittery's got a place there too."

She leaned back. She had to think this through before she agreed to anything. She didn't trust anyone, but she knew that if she agreed to this outlandish idea of his she would have to trust him. 

He sighed deeply and looked down, guessing that she wasn't going to give him an answer.

She made a face. He had to go and do that! Her father used to do that to her to get her to agree to go along with him on one of his cons. It never failed to get her to agree. She closed her eyes for a moment. She had watched all of them carefully since she had joined them six years ago, and gotten to know almost everything about all of them, just by watching. If she had to trust any of the newsies, she guessed she would trust him the most. She opened her eyes and leaned forward again. "Tell you what…you get them to rent us a flat…and I'll go for it."

His head shot up. "Really?"

"Yes. I can't wait to get out of that lodging house."

----------

"We've got a problem," Pie said, joining Ice at her selling spot later that afternoon.

She handed a paper to a customer and pocketed the coin. "What?"

"Mrs. B has a flat…but she won't let us have it…"

She had known this was coming, but she had wanted to let him figure it out on his own. "Let me guess…we aren't siblings…we aren't married…"

He shoved his hands in his pockets and kicked at the ground. "Yeah. That's what she said."

"So you have any where else in mind?"

"I checked a couple of other places. The story is the same everywhere."

There was only one possible way for them to share a flat, but was he serious about doing this? "So…"

"I've been thinking…"

She waited for him to continue.

"We can't afford separate flats…the only option is for us to get married…"

She glared at him. "Married?" 

He nodded, looking at the ground. He was serious about it. She gave the idea careful thought for several long minutes. She had known that no one would rent them a flat unless they were married. The big question was could she trust him enough to marry him, just so that she would have a place to live? He thought that she wasn't going to answer at all and slowly turned to walk away.

"When do you have to be out?"

Her quiet reply stopped him. He spun on his heel. "Did you just agree to marry me?"

"When do you have to be out?" She asked again

"Friday."

"How soon can we get the flat?"

"As soon as we can move in."

"Thursday?"

He nodded. "The others will be suspicious."

"Of what?" She knew, she just wanted to hear him say it.

"You don't talk to anyone unless you have to…and we're getting married…it just won't make sense to any of the others."

She crossed her arms. "Let them think what they want to think."

"Are you sure about this Ice?"

She looked him in the eye. "Are you?"

----------

Ice stood in the doorway of the small flat and surveyed the rooms. The door to the bedroom was not on the hinges at all, but instead leaned against the wall. Through the open doorway she could see an ancient mattress on the floor. It looked no bigger than the mattresses at the lodging house. Two of the legs on the sofa were broken and it slanted toward the floor. And it looked as if a family of mice had taken up residence in the sofa. Carefully picking her way across the room, she noticed that the window in the bedroom was broken, letting the harsh November wind in.

She turned as Pie walked into the flat. "I talked to Mrs. B," he said.

"And?"

"She didn't know it was this bad. She won't make us pay rent for the first couple of months, if we agree to fix up the place."

"That's awful nice of her, but something has to be done about that window tonight," she said, pointing through the bedroom door.

"It's gonna hafta stay for tonight. I'll look around for some wood to cover it tomorrow."

She wrapped her arms around herself to ward off the chill. He took his blanket out of his knapsack and walked into the bedroom. She watched from the doorway as he draped the old blanket over the string strung across the top of the window.

"What are you going to use for a blanket?" she asked.

He shrugged. "I'll manage. Put your coat back on and wear it all night. It will help with the chill."

She nodded and grabbed her coat. "What I wouldn't give to have one of those long cloaks like Rae has," she whispered as she put the coat back on.

"It's late," he commented. "We both have to be at work early in the morning. You take the bed…I'll sleep on the floor."

"Then take my blanket."

"No. You're cold. You need it."

"But…"

"I'll be fine."

She looked at the old mattress. There would be no way they could both sleep on it without touching, but it was so cold in the flat, that she didn't like the idea of him sleeping on the floor without a blanket. Not after he used his blanket to cover the window. "We could share the bed…" Where had that come from? Surely she hadn't said that.

"Are you sure?" he asked.

She had said it! "As long as you don't try anything funny," she muttered.

"I'll be on my best behavior," he said, with his hands in the air. He pushed the mattress against the wall and out of the direct draft from the window. "Maybe this will help. You can sleep against the wall."

She nodded as her teeth started chattering.

He looked over at his new bride. "I'll be right back," he said, disappearing from the flat. He returned a few minutes later with a dark cloth draped over his arm. He wrapped the thick warm fabric around her shoulders. "Rae gave it to me. She said it's the warmest one she had."

"Thank you," she whispered, before stretching out on the bed and turning her back to him.

He lay next to her and covered them both with the thin blanket she had brought with her from the lodging house. He could feel her shivering as he lay staring at the window. "Ice..." he said after a few minutes.

"Hmmm?" she answered.

"It might be a little easier for both of us to sleep and a little warmer for you if I could roll over and put my arms around you."

"You are not touching me!"

He rolled his eyes in the darkness. "Our backs are touching, Malloy."

She growled and tried to inch closer to the wall.

"Hattie..."

"Don't call me that!"

He sighed and stood up. "This isn't going to work. We both can't sleep in that bed without touching..."

She looked up at him. "Where are you going?"

"Downstairs to see if someone will let me sleep on their couch."

"You'd leave me alone in here?"

"The only other place for me to sleep in here is on the floor..."

Ice bit her lip. "I guess it's alright if you stay...but keep your hands to yourself."

He snorted. "As you wish, your majesty."

She shot him a look and turned her back to him again. He lay back down beside her and listened until her deep even breathing told him that she was sleeping. Waiting a moment more, he carefully turned over and draped one arm across her waist. Rather than waking up, she snuggled closer to him. He chuckled softly. 


	2. Chapter 2

Pie woke slowly to the sound of someone pounding on the door to the flat. He carefully stood, not wanting to wake Ice just yet. While no one in the lodging house had been close to the girl, they all knew not to wake her. Running his fingers through his dirty hair, he made his way to the door. "Can I help you?" he asked around a yawn. 

The tall young man in the hall smirked. "I probably should have waited until later to come by," he said with a distinct Southern drawl. "but Mrs. B said something about a busted window, broken door and mice..."

Yawning, Pie nodded. "But my wife isn't awake yet..."

"Yes I am," came a muttered reply from the bedroom. A moment later Ice came into the main room rubbing her eyes. She still had the cloak Rae had given her the night before wrapped around her shoulders.

The man laughed. "I see that my _petite amie_ didn't waste much time in giving away the cloak that I gave her. _Là où sont mes façons?_ I'm Beau Wayne."

Pie shook hands with him. "I'm Dolan and this is my wife Hattie." Ice couldn't help but blush slightly when Beau took her hand and kissed the back of it.

"My family lives two floors below you. And if the little demons I call my brothers and sisters cause you any trouble, feel free to come to me."

"I'm sure they won't be a problem," Pie said.

Beau laughed again. "You haven't met them yet." He turned and surveyed the room. "Ma'am...if you want to get started on cleaning your little kitchen, I believe my sister will be bringing some food by in about an hour. Your husband and I can start with taking that old sofa down to the alley."

Pie started to protest. "You don't have to help us, I'm sure we can manage."

"Nonsense. We don't mind the work at all...and Mrs B asked me to come by and make sure the place was habitable."

Pie looked over at Ice. "We can't pay you..."

Beau shook his head. "I'm not asking for payment. When my family first arrived in New York, we had a few people help us out even though we couldn't pay them back. Now we try to do the same thing for others."

----

Hours later the small flat had been scrubbed from top to bottom thanks to the help of the Wayne clan. Once they had all left Ice stretched out on the new couch, exhausted. "Nice family..."

"Yeah." Pie said, dropping into one of the chairs. "He was right about the two youngest ones...they are demons."

"But all it took to straighten them up was a look from Beau. It was like that with me and my _daid_."

He sighed. "I know nothing about my parents...I was raised in an orphanage until they kicked me out when I was thirteen."

"I'm sorry, Dolan," she whispered.

He looked over at her.

"What?" she asked.

"That's the first time you've actually said my name..."

She shrugged and changed the subject. "I guess we have to find jobs tomorrow."

"Yeah. Beau told me to come down to the docks tomorrow and he'll see about getting me a job. What are you gonna do?"

"I don't know. I'm not really trained to do anything...nothing legal anyway."

He chuckled. "What about one of the factories?"

She sat up quickly. "No! I won't work in a factory."

He looked at her concerned. "Settle down _cailin_. It was just a question."

She sighed deeply and looked away.

"Look...Ice...we're married. We may as well try to be friends."

"Fine." She stood. "I'm going to bed, it's been a long day."

"I'll give you a few minutes."

"But...the couch..."

"No. The bed Mrs. B gave us is bigger than the one we had last night. I'm not sleeping on the couch."

She turned to look at him. "Then I will."

"We're married, Hattie. It's alright for us to share a bed." When she started to protest more, he continued. "If you want to change, I'll give you five minutes. I'm exhausted and I want to go to bed."

Growling, she turned and ran into the bedroom, slamming the door.

He stared after her. When he sat down in front of her a few days before he had just wanted to talk to her. Their sharing a flat and marriage had just happened. But now that it had happened, he wasn't so sure that he minded all that much. Up until a few days ago neither one of them really had anyone, now they had each other.

-----

French translations:  
_petite amie_ - Girlfriend  
_Là où sont mes façons?_ - Where are my manners?

Gaelic translations:  
_daid_ - father  
_cailin_ - girl


	3. Chapter 3

As he finished shaving, Pie watched Ice in the reflection of the mirror. She was sitting on the edge of the bed, brushing her hair. Hattie Malloy wasn't what most would call beautiful, but over the last few days he had come to realize that she was. He had known her for five years, but had never noticed that her hair was no longer the reddish gold that it had been when they met. Instead her hair had already turned a pale grey, but on the rare occasion that she left it down, such as now when she was brushing it, you could still see hints of the old fiery color.

Almost as if she realized that he was staring at her, she looked over her shoulder at him. Drying his face, he walked to her before leaning down and stealing a kiss. He pulled back slightly and when she didn't hit him, he gently caressed her cheek and kissed her again. After a few minutes he pulled away again. "I'll be back in time for dinner, _muirnin_," he whispered, leaving her alone.

He stopped in the lobby when he saw the landlady's granddaughter sitting at the desk. "Good morning, Miss Jessa."

Jessa Rhian looked up at him and smiled. "Good morning, Mr. Malloy."

He chuckled. "I don't think I'll ever get used to being called that. Call me Dolan or Pie like my friends do." He leaned against the counter and looked down at the baby in her arms. "Who is that adorable creature?"

She gazed down at the baby in her arms and cooed at her. "This is Blythe Conlon and she's two weeks old today."

"She's beautiful...so she must take after her mama. It's a good thing she doesn't look like her daddy," he laughed.

Spot walked down the hall and joined them. "I heard that Pie." He took his daughter from Jessa. "Did I hear right that you married Ice Malloy?"

Pie stuck his hands in his pockets. "I sure did."

"How did you manage something like that?"

Pie chuckled. "You know how we Manhattan boys are...we'll bet on anything."

"So you married her to win a bet?" Spot asked.

"Something like that," Pie answered, sheepishly.

"Dolan..." Jessa whispered, looking past the two men at the stairs. The two men looked at her for a moment before following her gaze. Beau and Ice stood on the stairs.

He stepped toward her. "Hattie..."

She stared at him, her face the unreadable mask that she had always hidden behind. After a moment she turned and ran back up the stairs.

"Hattie..." he called after her.

"We'll be late for work," Beau said, heading for the door.

Sighing, Pie followed him. "How much of that did she hear?"

"Enough," Beau muttered.

"It wasn't like it sounded. The bet was just to have an actual conversation with her..."

"Don't tell me. You have to convince her."

He sighed again. "I've been with a lot of girls, but never one with a heart as cold as hers."

Beau looked down at the shorter man. "You've obvisously melted her heart a little...otherwise she wouldn't have been that upset about what you were saying to Spot."

Pie ran his fingers through his hair. "I really messed up."

-----

Nearly a week later Ice was still not talking to Pie anymore than she had to. In fact, she was avoiding him at all costs. When she came home from her job as a bookkeeper she would prepare their dinner and then once he got him she would disappear into the bedroom. Rather than fighting with her, he chose to sleep on the couch.

On this evening as he and Beau returned home from work, Rae and Spot were sitting on the front stoop looking at something in Rae's hands.

"What do you have there?" Beau asked, kneeling on the step in front of Rae.

She glanced up at them. "I found a puppy...and he's so tiny..."

Pie looked down at the puppy. "He's probably a runt."

Beau carefully took the puppy from her. "The poor little thing looks like he hasn't eaten recently."

"He ate some of the bread off my sandwich and then fell asleep in my lap," Rae replied.

Spot laughed. "You should have heard the little guy. He was barking up a storm, but it was more of a yelp."

"What are you going to do with him?" Pie asked.

"He'd get trampled at Beau's...and Silk's cat had kitten about two weeks ago..." Rae answered.

Spot interrupted. "Six kittens..."

Pie laughed. "Can I have him? Maybe he'll soften Ice up..."

Rae looked up at him. "Is she still not talking to you?"

Beau handed the puppy to Pie. "Gifts always work with Rae." Rae hit him playfully.

Spot smirked. "It worked when I gave Silk that kitten who now thinks she owns the place."

Pie took a good look at the tiny puppy. "It can't hurt. She's already not talking to me." After another few minutes he carried the puppy up the stairs to his flat. She was just putting dinner on the table when he stepped inside. "I've got something for you."

She stopped and looked at him. "What...what is it?"

He grinned. "You'll have to come over here and find out." She sent him a questioning look before slowly moving toward him. "Hold out your hands and close you eyes."

"Pie..." she started.

He held his free hand up. "Just trust me, please," he pleaded.

She stared at him for a moment before placing her hands together and closing her eyes. "It's warm and furry," she said, as he placed the puppy in her hands. "And very tiny."

He chuckled. "Open your eyes." He smiled at the look of surprise on her face.

"Oh, Dolan...he's so adorable..." she whispered, cuddling the puppy close to her.

He reached out and gently touched her cheek. "Can I please explain what you overheard the other day?"

She looked up at him a moment before nodding.

"When I came and sat down across from you that day, it was because of a bet. But the bet was only on whether or not I got you to talk back to me. The idea of our marriage came later. Most all the other had someone somewhere that they could call family, but we didn't. I was tired of being alone and thought that maybe you were too," he said, caressing her cheek.

She didn't even realized that she had moved closer to him until he wrapped his arms around her, holding her close. "I am," she whispered, resting her head on his chest. For the first time she her father died she felt safe and...wanted.

* * *

Gaelic Translation:  
_muirnin_ - Darling, Sweetheart


	4. Chapter 4

Pie pulled his pillow over his head with a moan. "I ought to throw that mutt out the window..." he muttered. Hattie's puppy was in the bathroom barking, or yelping as Spot described it, for some attention.

"He's just lonely," she replied. "You're the one who insists that he stay in there at night...and while we're at work"

"Because I don't want him destroying this place. We're still trying to get it fixed up." He said, turning to look at her.

She sighed. "Dolan...he's just a puppy"

He closed his eyes. "And he's got to learn"

There was a loud pounding on the door. "Shut that stupid dog up"

Growling, Pie got out of bed and stalked over to the bathroom. He opened the door and picked up the dog. He put the puppy on the foot of the bed. "Go to sleep," he ordered, dropping back onto the bed. The puppy turned three circles before sitting down, going right to sleep.

"Thank you Dolan," she whispered, looking over at him.

He reached over and brushed the hair from her face. "You're welcome Hattie...but he better not getting used to sleeping there"

-----

The little puppy was slowly making his way down the stairs when Pie came home from work. He picked the puppy up by the scruff of his neck. "I would love to let you go, you little mutt...but Hattie would never forgive me and I'm just starting to win her over. So I guess you have to stay." He carried the puppy back upstairs and into the flat, making sure that the door was closed all the way.

"Dinner's almost ready," Hattie called from the kitchen.

Smiling, he walked over to her and wrapped his arms around her waist, kissing her cheek. "You smell good"

She blushed. "Dolan...that's my dinner that you smell"

"No. I smell flowers..." he said, continuing to hold her.

"Oh...that...it's just some soap that Rae gave me," she replied, leaning back against him. Hattie couldn't explain it, but something about being in his arms made her feel safe.

"Where did she get it?" he asked, burying his nose in her hair.

"I asked her that...she told me not to ask," she answered, wrinkling her nose.

He laughed. "That sounds like Rae. She's quite a thief that girl"

Hattie pulled away from him and moved the pot of soup to the counter. "Have you known her long"

He leaned against the counter next to her. "She was at the Manhattan house long before anyone else. But something happened just before I came and she changed. At least that's what Spot and Jack told me." He shrugged. "She left about a week before you came." Pie stared at her for a moment before reaching over and pulling one of the pins from her hair.

She swatted at his hand. "Stop that...it will all fall down"

"That's the point," he laughed, pulling another one out. Hattie turned to look at him. He continued pulling the pins out until at last her hair fell in soft waves down her back. He ran his fingers through her hair, stepping closer to her. "Your hair is _sceimhiuil_."

She lowered her eyes. "It's an awful color..."

"It is _sceimhiuil, A Thaisce_...don't let anyone else tell you different..." He placed his hand under her chin and lifted her face. "You are _sceimhiuil_." He gently drew her closer and kissed her softly, resting his other hand on her waist.

After a moment she pulled away and began to dish up the soup she had made for their dinner. "Your dinner is getting cold..."

He stepped behind her again. "Hattie _muirnin_, we aren't doing anything wrong..."

He was standing so close behind her all she could do was turn and look up at him. "You're the first man that's ever touched me...that's ever kissed me. I don't know what to do."

"It's alright _muirnin_...I'd be worried if you did," he said, caressing her cheek.

She leaned into his touch. "It's different for you...you wouldn't be looked down upon if you chased after girls. Besides, we girls knew where you guys went on Saturday nights to spend almost every penny you made during the week..."

He hesitated a moment before answering. "I won't deny it, Hattie..." Hattie lowered her eyes once more and he tilted her chin up again. "I know you don't really trust me...but I want you to trust me when I say that I won't force you to do anything until you are ready. If I was going to force you, I would have done it weeks ago. Do you think you can trust me in this?"

She looked deep into his eyes for several minutes before finally nodding and lifting her face for another kiss, which he gladly gave her.

-----

Rae passed Pie as he climbed the stairs after work. She glared at him. "You're an idiot...and if you're not careful, you're going to lose her," Rae told him.

He looked at her, clearly confused. "What are you talking about Rae?"

She huffed. "Your loan shark sent some goons to find you...only they found Hattie instead. They roughed her up a bit and killed her puppy," she said, gesturing to the box tucked under her arm. "They'll be coming back...so you better find a way to get them their money." She turned and stalked down the stairs.

He watched her for a moment before racing up the stairs and into his flat. Hattie was sitting on the couch when her face in her hands. Her dress was torn and her hair had been crudely cut, some places shorter than others. He stopped in the doorway. "Hattie..." She looked up at him. Her left eye was swollen completely shut and her lip was split and still bleeding. For the first time in all the years he had known her, tears were pouring down her cheeks. "Oh..._muirnin_..." he whispered, stepping toward her.

She stood quickly. "Don't you come near me! And don't call me _muirnin_!"

He closed the distance between them and reached out to caress her cheek. "Hattie..."

Hattie slapped his hand away. "Don't touch me! This is all your fault!" she sobbed. She quickly moved to the other side of the room. "They did this to me because you weren't here!"

"Hattie, I'm sorry..."

"You're sorry?!" she scoffed.

He stepped toward her. "Don't do this..."

She moved again so that the couch was between them. She stared at him for several minutes, tears pouring down her cheeks. Hattie took a small bank book from her pocket and threw it at him. The book hit him in the chest and fell to the floor. "Use that to pay off your debts," she sobbed, putting her face into her hands.

North Wayne stepped through the open door. "Oh honey...Rae told me what happened," she said, embracing the shorter girl. "Come on, let's get you cleaned up..." Hattie allowed North to lead her from the room and down the stairs to Rae's flat.

Pie watched them leave and then looked down at the floor where the bank book had fallen. He slowly bent down and picked it up, turning it over in his hands. After a few minutes he opened the book and scanned through the columns of figures, until his eyes reached the final figure. It was ten times the amount he needed to pay off the loan shark.

-  
Translations:  
_sceimhiuil_ - beautiful  
_A Thaisce_ My treasure (an endearment)  
_muirnin_ - darling, sweetheart


	5. Chapter 5

Once Hattie had take a hot bath and dressed in clothes borrowed from Rae, North set about cutting Hattie's hair. "Your hair is such a beautiful color..." North drawled in her thick Southern accent. 

Hattie was silent for a moment before changing the subject. "Did you love your baby's father?"

North sighed softly. "No. My father was not a good man. Beau was our protector, but my father forced him to leave. So protecting the younger ones became my job. My father told me that if I would...entertain...his friends that he would leave the younger ones alone."

"Did you do it?"

"Yes, I did. I was auctioned off to the highest bidder."

"But he didn't stop did he?" Hattie asked softly.

North sighed again. "No. And we lost little Georgia and nearly lost Ana. But I ended up with Callie. I love my daughter dearly."

Hattie bit her lip. "If you could do it over again, would you do it differently?"

"Callie is the best thing that has happened to me. Sometimes I wish the circumstances were different, but I can't imagine my life without her."

Tears filled Hattie's eyes. "He's not going to want me anymore..."

North sat next to her. "Did they rape you?" Hattie's only answer was to put her head in her hands and sob loudly. North put her arms around the girl and held her like she would one of her younger siblings. When Hattie's sobs had softened into sniffles North spoke softly. "May I tell you something?" Hattie nodded against her shoulder. "If Dolan really loves you, he won't hold what happened against you. He'll be angry and upset because of what happened, but he'll understand that it wasn't your fault. Once you tell him it may take him some time to work it all out in his mind, but if he truly loves you, he won't abandon you."

"But he's never spoken of love..."

North rubbed her back. "Not everyone marries for love, but if you give it a chance you can grow to care for each other and then maybe one day you'll wake up and realize that you love each other."

----

Dolan and Hattie lay in their bed with their backs to each other. It had been several weeks since Hattie had been attacked and neither one knew what to say to the other. "Did you pay him back his money?" Hattie asked softly.

"Yes, I did," he answered.

"Was there enough?"

He rolled over and looked at the back of her head. "You don't know how much was in there?"

She sighed softly. "I've never looked."

"Hattie...there was enough money for us to move into a better neighborhood and you wouldn't have to work anymore."

She was silent for several minutes. "I don't want to move."

He reached out and played with the ends of her hair. "If you want to stay, then we'll stay."

She sniffled softly. "For the first time ever, I have friends, Dolan."

"Then we won't move. I just want you to be happy." She rolled over and looked at him. "Don't hate me forever," he whispered, caressing her cheek.

Tears filled her eyes. She quickly rolled out of the bed and stumbled into the living room. She curled up on the couch and sobbed into a pillow.

Confused, he followed her. "Hattie, darling..." he knelt in front of her and gently took her hands in his own. "Tell me what's wrong...please...I don't like seeing you cry like this..." She sat there for several minutes with tears pouring down her cheeks before answering. "One...one of them raped me"

The words were so soft that he almost didn't hear them. He cursed. Hattie hugged her knees, sobbing again. He stood and paced back and forth acoss the room cursing. Hattie was the most important person in his life and his stupidity had gotten her hurt. In the few months they had been married he had come to care for her a great deal. He loved the smile that so rarely graced her beautiful face, the way she would snuggle into his arms when he hugged her, her shyness when he kissed her. All that had changed when she had been attacked. She had become as quiet and withdrawn as when they had first married. It was all his fault. Cursing himself, he turned to look at her.

He slowly crossed the room and lifted her into his arms, kissing the top of her head. "I'm so sorry, baby...I never thought you'd get hurt. But I guess I should have known they would do something like this and got out when I could..." She wrapped her arms around his neck and buried her face in his chest. "Can you ever forgive me, darling?" he asked, holding her close. She slowly nodded. The soft patter of rain sounded on the window as he carried her back to bed. He placed her on the bed and when he stretched out beside her, she snuggled into his arms for a moment before turning over to watch the rain. Smiling, he rolled onto his side and wrapped an arm around her waist, drawing her back against his chest. He tucked her head under his chin as they watched the light show provided by the storm outside.

Hattie lay in his arms feeling safe and content. Before she had been attacked she had started to care for him. She had waited anxiously for him to return from work in the evenings, had enjoyed doing their simple household chores with him before they would crawl into bed and talk until they both fell asleep, had looked forward to the times when he would take her in his arms and kiss her. Hattie couldn't begin to describe the feelings that had filled her. North's words played through her head. She shifted in his arms so that she could look at him. "Dolan...do you still want me? After what I told you..."

He brushed the hair from her face and caressed her cheek. "It was all my fault, Hattie...not yours..." She nodded, tears filling her eyes. "I know that we didn't marry for love, but I think that we've become friends and have started to care for each other just a little..."

She swollowed. "I think so too," she whispered.

Dolan propped up on one elbow and looked down at her, his face mere inches from hers. Caressing her cheek again, he leaned down and kissed her softly.


	6. Chapter 6

Pie pushed open the door to the bedroom with his foot and carried a tray of food into the room. He set the tray on the nightstand and sat next to Hattie. "Good morning, darling..." When she began to stir, he bent down and kissed her.

She opened her eyes. "Good morning..."

He brushed the hair from her face. "Are you alright?" he asked softly. She nodded. He caressed her cheek. "I brought you breakfast."

She sat up. "Dolan, you didn't have to do that..."

"I wanted to." He grabbed his pillow and put it behind her back. "You cook breakfast and dinner for us and pack me a lunch to take to work. Let me do something for you."

"If you insist..."

"I do," he said, placing the tray on the bed between them. "I thought it best not to try my hand at cooking, so I went downstairs and talked to North"

"She has enough people to cook for Dolan."

He smiled at her. "I paid her for it."

"Good," she said, picking up her plate. "This smells so wonderful."

"Some of it looks...interesting..." he replied.

Hattie laughed. "They're from the South, Dolan. Instead of just bringing her flowers and candy, her boyfriend brings her what she needs to cook her favorite foods from back home."

"It must be expensive."

"I think it's sweet."

He finished his food and set his plate on the tray. "I have to work a double shift today, so don't wait up for me."

She glanced away from him. "I won't."

"If I don't hurry, I'm gonna be late." He stole a kiss from her and left the room.

-

Hattie shifted the basket from one hand to the other as she walked down the docks, looking for Dolan. He had been pulling a lot of double shifts the last few weeks and had left without his lunch that morning. Spotting Beau, Hattie hurried toward him. "Good morning, Beau."

He bowed. "Good morning, sweet lady."

She blushed slightly. "Dolan left without his lunch...could you give this to him."

"I can do better. I was about to call lunch, so why don't you stay and eat with him." He turned and whistled loudly, signalling lunch for his men.

Dolan saw Hattie and jogged over to them, kissing her cheek. "You didn't have to bring me lunch."

"I have the day off...and Beau told me that I should stay and eat with you. If you don't mind that is."

He took the basket from her. "I don't mind...and he's the boss around here." He led her to a quiet spot away from the rest of the men for them to sit.

-

It was dark and snowing when Hattie left the store where she worked as a bookkeeper. She turned to lock the door but her hands were so cold she kept having trouble.

"Let me sweetheart..."

She gasped and turned to see Pie behind her. "You frightened me."

He stole a kiss and took the keys from her. "My apologies." He locked the door for her. "North told me you had to stay late, so I thought I'd come walk you home."

"You didn't have to do that," she said, rubbing her hands together.

"I didn't like the idea of you walking home by yourself in the dark."

"To be honest, I wasn't too fond of the idea myself.."

He smiled and took her hands. "We need to get you some gloves and a scarf."

"I'm fine..."

"Nonsense," he said as they walked home. "Hattie...you don't have to work you know."

She sighed. "I think I would go crazy if I didn't have something to do."

"What about when we have kids?" he asked, and then laughed when she looked up at him shocked. "Don't look so surprised, darling. They'll come along one day..."

She was silent for a moment before answering. "I used to hate it when my mama would leave me at home to go to work."

He wrapped an arm around her waist. "If you want to stop work once we have a family that's fine with me."

"When we have a family, I'll stop," she said, leaning close to him for warmth. He kissed the side of her head and continued to hold her close as they walked the last few blocks.

-

In the corner of the room a dark headed toddler played with six active kittens while nearby flaxen-haired infant slept peacefully in her crib. Across the room five woman sat near the fireplace talking in low tones.

Rae nudged Jess and nodded toward Hattie. "Someone looks happy..."

Jess smiled. "Could it be her husband that makes her look that way..."

Hattie blushed and took a sip of her coffee.

"She's blushing," Silk said. "You girls really must tell me what's been happening. I feel so left out sometimes..."

"I've noticed Dolan leaving the flat and bringing breakfast back a few mornings," Jess answered.

"And he always manages to forget his lunch on her days off," Rae added.

North turned to Hattie. "I guess the two of you talked."

"Yes we did," Hattie replied, blushing even brighter.

"I think they more than talked," Rae laughed. "I'd say from that blush that there was quite a bit of kissing involved and maybe something more..."

"Alana Rae Kelly!" North snapped, sending her a look.

"How did you learn my full name?!" Rae asked.

"My brother bribed Spot," she answered simply.

"I'm going to kill your husband, Silk..." Rae said.

Silk laughed. "Just don't hurt him too badly. I need his help with Blythe."

North shot Rae another look and turned back to Hattie. "What happened?"

"Well, I asked him if he still wanted me...and he told me that what happened wasn't my fault, that it was his fault. And then he said that we didn't marry for love but we had become friends and started to care for each other. I agreed and then he kissed me...and...He didn't pressure me at all...but it was my choice..."

North squeezed her hand. "It's good to see you so happy."

"If they keep this up, it won't be too long before she'll have a little one over there with Blythe and Callie," Silk said.

-

Pie stopped just outside the door to his flat and took a deep breath. How was he supposed to tell her? Things had been going so well between them lately and now he had to hurt her again. He pushed open the door and watched her move around the small kitchen as she prepared their dinner.

Hattie was humming to herself as she set the table and smiled when she looked up and saw him standing in the doorway. "You're home early..." she said, rushing across the room to where he stood and lifting her face for a kiss.

He wrapped an arm around her and bent his head to give her the kiss. "Something came up and I had to take the day off..."

She looked up at him. "Dolan...what's wrong?"

He held her to him for a moment before leading her over to the couch and sitting down next to her. "Hattie, darling...I have something to tell you..."

"What is it, Dolan?" she asked, concern written on her face.

He took her hands and hesitated a moment before answering. "You know that I had been with other girls before we met..."

She nodded. "Yes, I know"

"The brother of one of those girls came to see me today at the docks." He stopped and took a deep breath. "She had a son several months ago...and he's mine."

Hattie pulled her hands away and walked over to the window, staring out it. He had a son with someone else. A month ago it wouldn't have bothered her, but now...she had fallen hard for him. "Why did he come tell you now?"

He sighed. "Because she's dead...and her parents don't want to keep the boy..."

"And if we don't take him he'll end up in an orphanage..." she finished.

"Yes, he'll end up in an orphanage just as I did."

She closed her eyes and leaned her head against the cool windowpane. "Do you want him, Dolan?"

"I told myself years ago that I would never allow a child of mine to end up in an orphanage...yes, I do want him." She turned and walked toward the bedroom. Dolan stood and placed his hand on her shoulder. "Hattie..."

She turned and looked up at him. "I need some time, Dolan. Just give me some time." When she turned to go into the bedroom again he didn't stop her. She closed the door and threw herself on the bed, allowing the tears that had been threatening to spill for several minutes to finally fall.

He sat back down on the couch listening to her sob. He put his head in his hands, not knowing what else to do. At long last he heard the bedroom door softly open and turned to look at her.

Cheeks tear-stained and face pale, she stood with her chin up. "Go get your son, Dolan."

He hurried over to her. "Are you sure, Hattie?"

"He's your son...and I don't think I could live with myself if you sent your son to the orphanage because of me."


End file.
